In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘LATE BRIGHT’. The present variety was hybridized by me in 1998, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley).
The variety was developed as a first generation cross using ‘September Red’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,664) nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed nectarine (unpatented) as the selected pollen parent. A single tree from the stated cross was selected as the claimed variety. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is most similar to its selected seed parent, ‘September Red’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,664) nectarine by producing late maturing clingstone nectarines that are red and yellow in skin color, yellow with red bleeding in flesh color, acidic and sweet in flavor, and nearly globose in shape but is distinguished therefrom by having a sweet instead of bitter kernel and by producing nectarines that are much larger in size.